ROM usage characteristic (non-volatile storage): Evaluate: “Read-only memories (ROMs) are used to store data that generally cannot be easily changed.”

Introduction / Context:
ROM technologies (mask ROM, PROM/OTP, EPROM, EEPROM, Flash) exist along a spectrum of mutability. What unifies them is non-volatility and relative resistance to casual change during normal operation. This item checks conceptual understanding of why ROMs are chosen for fixed code/data storage.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• “ROM” is used broadly to encompass non-volatile read-mostly memories.
• “Easily changed” refers to in-circuit modification during normal system use.
• We acknowledge erasable families exist but with controlled procedures.

Concept / Approach:
ROMs are intended for content that should persist across power cycles and not be altered accidentally: bootloaders, lookup tables, microcode, calibration constants. Although EPROMs and Flash can be reprogrammed, doing so requires special voltages, sequences, or modes, not casual writes like RAM. Thus the statement—phrased as “generally cannot be easily changed”—is accurate.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
Compare with RAM: any write strobe updates RAM immediately, but ROM devices ignore normal write strobes or lack them; reprogramming paths are restricted.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

Common Pitfalls:
Equating “reprogrammable” with “easy at runtime.” In embedded design, update workflows are deliberately guarded to prevent corruption.

Final Answer:
Correct